Formable mouth guard with container

ABSTRACT

A mouth protection system may include a formable mouth guard and a storage container. The mouth guard may include an elastic component and an inelastic component. The mouth guard may be heated, for instance, by allowing a working fluid to contact a reactant in a heating compartment. The elastic component may then become compressible in order to form to the anatomy of a wearer&#39;s mouth.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent applicationSer. No. 62/232,924 filed on Sep. 25, 2016, which in turn is related toU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/828,105 filed Aug. 17, 2015, theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to mouth or teeth protection devices,and more particularly to a formable mouth guard and a storage container.

BACKGROUND

Teeth protection devices to be worn in the mouth, more commonly referredto as mouth pieces or mouth guards, are utilized in a variety ofapplications such as preventing or minimizing injury during sportingevents or other physical activity or as a treatment or preventativemeasure for snoring or grinding of teeth during sleep. In eachapplication, the mouth guard is designed to protect the inner anatomicalcomponents of the mouth, such as teeth, gums, and palate, frompotentially damaging conditions or external trauma. Mouthguards—generally soft, flexible inserts designed to be worn over theteeth and gums—among other things, prevent the top and bottom teeth fromcontacting each other, and can minimize shock and damage to teeth.

No two mouths are alike, however. The size, shape, and generaldimensions of mouth anatomy, including teeth, vary from individual toindividual, and tend to change over time even for a single individual. Amouth guard which does not securely fit may not adequately or optimallyprotect the teeth and other structures in the mouth. Accordingly,formable mouth guards are known to customize the shape and contours tofit an individual mouth precisely. These formable mouth guards requireboiling water and submerging the mouth guard in the liquid in order torender the material of the mouth piece compressible.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is not anextensive overview of every embodiment disclosed herein. It is intendedneither to identify key or critical elements of the various embodimentsnor to delineate the scope of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is topresent some concepts of the disclosure, in accordance with the variousembodiments disclosed herein, in a simplified form as a prelude to themore detailed description that is presented later.

In one embodiment, a mouth protection system may include a formablemouth guard for insertion into a wearer's mouth, the mouth guardincluding an elastic component which may be heated to a compressiblestate such that the mouth guard is formable around the wearer's teeth;in some embodiments, the mouth guard may be additionally formable aroundthe wearer's gums and palate. The mouth protection system may furtherinclude a storage container including a case, dimensioned to hold theformable mouth guard, a heating compartment, dimensioned to fit withinthe case and having an internal area accommodating both a fluid and areactant, with the ability to cause a working fluid to be released tocontact the reactant in the internal area. The fluid may be water andthe reactant may be quicklime. During storage or prior to use, the fluidand the reactant may be maintained separated from each other, whereas inoperation, the fluid and the reactant may be allowed to contact eachother. During use, allowing the fluid to contact the reactant may causean exothermic chemical reaction that heats the elastic component to itscompressible state.

In another embodiment, a method for protecting a wearer's mouth mayinclude: providing a mouth protection system that includes a formablemouth guard including an elastic component which may achieve acompressible state when heated to an elevated temperature, and a storagecontainer including a case dimensioned to hold the mouth guard; causinga fluid to contact a reactant in a heating compartment disposed in thecase, thereby causing an exothermic chemical reaction to heat aninternal environment of the case; allowing heat from the exothermicchemical reaction to raise the elastic component to the elevatedtemperature; inserting the mouth guard in its compressible state into awearer's mouth; and allowing the mouth guard to cool and conforminglyposition itself within the wearer's mouth. As noted herein, the fluidmay be substantially water and the reactant may be substantiallyquicklime.

The following description and appended drawing figures set forth certainillustrative aspects of the disclosed embodiments. These aspects areindicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which theprinciples of the disclosure may be employed, and the variousembodiments are intended to include all such aspects and theirequivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparentfrom the following description when considered in conjunction with thedrawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a formable mouth guard disposedin a container in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cut-away perspective view of the formable mouthguard and container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the formable mouthguard and container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded cut-away perspective view of the formablemouth guard and container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a formable mouth guard disposedin a container in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a cut-away perspective view of the formable mouthguard and container of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the formable mouth guardand the top of the container of the FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 illustrates a cut-away perspective view of the formable mouthguard and container of FIG. 5 in an activated position;

FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of a formable mouth guard disposedand container of FIG. 5 with a bottom cap; and

FIG. 10 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the formable mouthguard and container of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description and the appended drawings describeand illustrate some embodiments of the disclosure for the purpose ofenabling one of ordinary skill in the relevant art to make and use theseembodiments. As such, the detailed description and illustration of theseembodiments are purely illustrative in nature and are in no way intendedto limit the scope of the disclosure in any manner. It should also beunderstood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and in certaininstances details which are not necessary for an understanding of theembodiments, such as details of fabrication and assembly, for example,may have been omitted. In the accompanying drawings, like numeralsrepresent like components.

In one embodiment, a mouth protection system may include a formablemouth guard for insertion into a wearer's mouth, the mouth guardincluding an elastic component which may be heated to a compressiblestate such that the mouth guard is formable around the wearer's teeth;in some embodiments, the mouth guard may be additionally formable aroundthe wearer's gums and palate. The mouth protection system may furtherinclude a storage container including a case, dimensioned to hold theformable mouth guard, a heating compartment, dimensioned to fit withinthe case and having an internal area accommodating both a fluid and areactant, and an activation lid operative to cause a working fluid to bereleased to contact the reactant in the internal area. The fluid may bewater and the reactant may be quicklime. During storage or prior to use,the fluid and the reactant may be maintained separated from each other,whereas in operation, the fluid and the reactant may be allowed tocontact each other. During use, allowing the fluid to contact thereactant may cause an exothermic chemical reaction that heats theelastic component to its compressible state.

As noted above, the formable mouth guard may be heated to an elevatedtemperature, the elastic component thereby achieving a compressiblestate at the elevated temperature. Some embodiments incorporate aninelastic component of mouth guard, the inelastic component may maintaina substantially rigid state at the elevated temperature. The inelasticcomponent may be substantially manufactured from ethylene-vinyl acetate(“EVA”) or a similar substance or compound, whereas the elasticcomponent may be substantially manufactured from a thermoplasticelastomer or the like.

In another embodiment, a method for protecting a wearer's mouth mayinclude: providing a mouth protection system that includes a formablemouth guard including an elastic component which may achieve acompressible state when heated to an elevated temperature, and a storagecontainer including a case dimensioned to hold the mouth guard;activating an activation lid to cause a fluid to contact a reactant in aheating compartment disposed in the case, thereby causing an exothermicchemical reaction to heat an internal environment of the case; allowingheat from the exothermic chemical reaction to raise the elasticcomponent to the elevated temperature; inserting the mouth guard in itscompressible state into a wearer's mouth; and allowing the mouth guardto cool and conformingly position itself within the wearer's mouth. Asnoted above, the fluid may be water and the reactant may be quicklime.

With reference now to the drawing figures, it is noted that FIG. 1illustrates a perspective view of a formable mouth guard disposed in acontainer in accordance with the disclosure; FIG. 2 illustrates acut-away perspective view, FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded perspectiveview, and FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded cut-away perspective view ofthe formable mouth guard and container of FIG. 1.

When fitted for use, a formable mouth guard 189 may generally protectthe mouth and teeth of a wearer. Mouth guard 189 may be heated as setforth below such that an elastic component achieves a compressiblestate, allowing mouth guard 189 to conform to the shape and contours ofteeth, gums, and palate on the interior of a wearer's mouth. In thatregard, a compressible or elastic component or portion of mouth guard189 may be disposed on an exterior of the structure of mouth guard 189,i.e., that portion of the structure that makes contact with the interiorof the wearer's mouth. Many materials and compounds may be suitable forsuch an elastic component or portion of mouth guard 189, includingthermoplastic elastomers and other heat-sensitive plastics, rubbers,polymers, and copolymers. Specifically, an elastic component of mouthguard 189 may be embodied in or comprise any of these or other materialsor compounds having appropriate heat-sensitivity characteristics as setforth herein, and may be selected as a function of cost, ease ofmanufacture, durability, federal or local health codes or regulations,or a combination of these and other factors.

Some embodiments of mouth guard 189 may further comprise an inelasticcomponent or portion, which may be constructed of suitable material soas to maintain a substantially rigid state at the elevated temperaturewhich causes the elastic component to achieve a compressible state. Theinelastic component may be embodied in or comprise EVA or a similarsubstance or compound as is generally known. In embodimentsincorporating such an inelastic component, the inelastic component maygenerally be disposed at a core of mouth guard 189 such that it issurrounded by the elastic component, i.e., an interior, inelastic core(or “skeleton”) may be encased in or surrounded by the elastic componentthat makes contact with the wearer's mouth. In some implementations, allor substantially all of such an inelastic core may be surrounded by theelastic component, while in other embodiments, only a portion of such aninelastic core may be surrounded or covered by the elastic component.

In particular, an inelastic component may be manufactured from EVA orpolyester material, such as polycaprolactone resin, compounded underheat. Such a compounding is usually made in a double shear compounder ora similar mechanism, and the polyester resin may be combined withcalcium carbonate, glass bubbles, or a combination of these, as well aswith coloring agents or pigments. This resulting polyester-basedcompound may be formed into pellets for molding as part of themanufacturing process. The resulting compound may be mixed withadditional polyester material as a master batch or can alternatively beused directly in molding depending on the desired color or coolingconcentrations. The mixed compound may then be fed into an injectionmolding machine with variable parameters. Example parameters associatedwith the injection molding machine may include a barrel temperature of120-220° F., a pressure of approximately 1500 psi at 50% speed, and acharging pressure of approximately 1000 psi. The material may then beinjected into a material mold having superior heat conducting propertiesas compared to the injected material. The inelastic component may beformed into a core or interior structure for mouth guard 189. Oncecooled, this inelastic component may then be prepared for combinationwith the elastic component.

In some embodiments, the elastic component of mouth guard 189 may beformed from an elastic material including a thermoplastic elastomer,such as a polyolefin blend, elastomeric alloys, styrenic blockcopolymers, or other thermoplastic elastomers generally known in the artor developed according to known principles, and potentially as well assilicone, rubber, or other elastic material having heat-sensitiveproperties as set forth herein. This elastic material may be injectedover or around a formed inelastic component or directly molded to formmouth guard 189, depending upon the embodiment.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing materials are provided by wayof example only, and that the present disclosure is not intended to belimited by the particular material or chemical constituents employed inconnection with the elastic component or the inelastic component ofmouth guard 189.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, in addition to mouth guard 189, a mouthprotection system may generally include a storage container 190,including a case 191 dimensioned to hold or store mouth guard 189 on asupport 188, and a heating compartment 192 dimensioned to fit withincase 191 and having an internal area 239 accommodating both a fluid anda reactant as described below. Case 191 may generally comprise a baselid 110 and a top 120 that is dimensioned such that top 120 isselectively engageable with base lid 110, such as by snap, press, orfriction fitting, for example, or by slotted or threaded engagement,detention tabs, and the like. In some embodiments, the interface betweenbase lid 110 and top 120 may include a seal, for instance, to seal orotherwise to reinforce the connection between these components when top120 is engaged with base lid 110. Rubber, silicone, or othercompressible washers or gaskets, pressure-sensitive adhesives, or otherstructures or techniques may be used for this purpose. Base lid 110 andtop 120 may be constructed of rigid plastic, acrylic, or ceramic, forexample, or other material that has sufficient heat tolerance to enablethe heating functionality set forth herein. In that regard, it may bedesirable to construct base lid 110 and top 120, as well as heatingcompartment 192, of material that will not “off-gas” or otherwisedeteriorate in the presence of heat required to render elastic componentof mouth guard 189 compressible. It may be desirable in some instancesto construct top 120 of clear glass, plastic, acrylic, or some othersubstantially transparent material allowing mouth guard 189 to be viewedduring storage, heating, or both.

Heating compartment 192 generally comprises a vent structure 130,configured and operative to fit securely within case 191 at base lid110, and an activation lid 140, configured and operative to engage withvent 130 and to activate a heating process as set forth below. As bestseen in FIGS. 2-4, vent 130 may be designed to have, or generally todefine, an internal area 239 accommodating both a fluid container 220and a reactant container 210.

Fluid container 220 may be a bladder, tank, or other structuremanufactured of plastic, acrylic, rubber, or some other generally inertmaterial; in this context, the term “inert” generally refers to aquality that enables fluid container 220 to store fluid without materialdegradation (of fluid container 220 or the fluid itself) prior to use.In some embodiments, fluid container 220 may be dimensioned toaccommodate approximately one tablespoon (or 15 cc and 15 mL) of water,though it will be appreciated that the amount of fluid necessary ordesired, as well as the material selected for fluid container 220, maybe dependent upon the specific fluid/reactant combination employed tocreate the exothermic chemical reaction described below.

Fluid container 220 may be secured proximal to activation lid 140, forexample, by a seal 310 (best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4). In someembodiments, seal 310 may be manufactured of aluminum or a similarmetal, though various plastics, acrylics, or other materials may beemployed. Seal 310 may be designed rigidly or fixedly to engage vent130, such as by welding, heat sealing, or by adhesives, for example,such that fluid container 220 is maintained in a position to be engagedby activation lid 140 as set forth below. In some embodiments, seal 310may be integral with activation lid 140 such that the combination ofactivation lid 140 and seal 310 define and embody fluid container 220itself; in this case, an independent bladder, tank, or other structuremay not be necessary for fluid container 220.

Reactant container 210 may be embodied in or comprise a bladder, tank,or packet that is generally designed to disintegrate, dissolve, orotherwise to degrade upon contact with working fluid released from fluidcontainer 220. Upon degradation of reactant container 210, the reactantdisposed within it may react with the fluid in an exothermic reaction,the chemistry of which is constrained based upon the nature and theamount of both the working fluid and the cooperating reactant.

In that regard, reactant container 210 may contain or be infused with aselected thermal inducing material. In one embodiment, reactantcontainer 210 may be infused with or store calcium oxide, commonlyreferred to as quicklime or burnt lime. In this embodiment, the workingfluid in fluid container 220 may be water; allowing water from fluidcontainer 220 to come into contact with infused material, such asquicklime, in reactant container 210 may initiate an exothermal reactionin internal area 239; heat from this reaction may rise through slots orperforations 131 in vent 130 to heat mouth guard 189 disposed in case191. It should be understood that the reactant may be substantiallyquicklime and the fluid may be substantially water, such that minorimpurities, non-active ingredients, aromatics, dyes, or other materialsmay be included in the liquid or reactant so long as the additionalmaterial does not interfere with the exothermal reaction. The allowablepercentage of any such additional ingredients or impurities would bereadily known to a person of ordinary skill in the art, or at leastreadily determined without undue experimentation.

Further, a removable sticker or sealing surface may be provided tosecure reactant container 210 within internal area 239 and to preventspillage during transportation or storage, to prevent reactant fromdegrading due to humidity or particulate contaminants, or both. In suchembodiments, vent 130 may be implemented such that it is removable frombase lid 110, allowing removal of such a sealing surface, prior to use;removal of the sealing surface may thereby expose reactant container210, allowing fluid to contact the reactant, thereby initiating theexothermic reaction. In other embodiments, reactant container 210 may beopened or unsealed, and the contents deposited in internal area 239,manually by a user. Alternatively, where reactant container 210 isdesigned to disintegrate or degrade upon contact with the working fluid,vent 130 may be rigidly affixed or integrated with the structure of baselid 110.

To facilitate the foregoing heating functionality, vent 130 may includea bottom portion or grate 430 having a plurality of holes orperforations 433. During use, top 120 may be removed from storagecontainer 190, allowing access to activation lid 140. Activation lid 140may be designed to cooperate with a structure integral with vent 130,for example, such that manipulation of activation lid 140 may pierce,tear, puncture, or otherwise rupture fluid container 220, seal 310, orboth, allowing the working fluid to enter internal area 239 throughperforations 433. It will be appreciated that, in embodiments where seal310 is integral with activation lid 140, piercing seal 310 alone may besufficient to allow fluid to escape, i.e., an independent structuralelement embodying fluid container 220 is not necessary. Upon release ofthe working fluid into internal area 239, top 120 may be replaced tocontain heat released by the chemical reaction between the working fluidand the reactant. Heat may rise from internal area 239 into case 191 viaperforations 131 to raise elastic portion of mouth guard 189 to atemperature sufficient to render it formable or moldable.

After a predetermined or desired period of heating, top 120 may beremoved from base lid 110, and mouth guard 189 may be retrieved fromcase 191, for example, using removable support 188, to be inserted in awearer's mouth for form-fitting. In this regard, support 188 may beremovable or detachable from base lid 110 thereby allowing a user tograsp support 188 and using support 188 to guide mouth guard 189 intothe user's mouth for fitting, thereby eliminating the need for the userto touch mouth guard 189 during the fitting process. Accordingly,removable support 188 may formed from a material having a greater heatcapacity in order to resist a rise in temperature during the heatingprocess.

Activation lid 140 may be threadably engaged with vent 130; in suchembodiments, rotating activation lid 140 may cause fluid container 220to rupture and seal 310 to fail, allowing fluid to enter internal area239 via perforations 433. For example, one or more protrusions or bladeson a surface of activation lid 140 proximal to fluid container 220 maycut both seal 310 and fluid container 220 as activation lid 140 isrotated; additionally or alternatively, protrusions or blades integralwith a structure of vent 130 may rupture fluid container 220 while acooperating structure on activation lid 140 is rotated. In someembodiments, activation lid 140 may include or comprise a plunger orspike, for instance, that may be pushed through fluid container 220 andseal 310; in such embodiments, rotation or threaded engagement ofactivation lid 140 may not be necessary. In still other embodiments,seal 310 and activation lid 140 may be integrated such that seal 310 mayrotate as activation lid 140 is rotated; threaded engagement with vent130 in this instance may cause seal 310 forcibly to bear on a spike orother protrusion disposed on grate 430, thereby piercing seal 310 (andfluid container 220, if implemented). It will be appreciated thatvarious other mechanisms and techniques may be employed to rupture orpuncture fluid container 220, seal 310, or both. The present disclosureis not intended to be limited by the structural arrangement or piercingmechanism employed by or in conjunction with activation lid 140, eitherindividually or in combination with a cooperating structure on orintegral with vent 130.

With reference now to FIGS. 5-10, support 188 may attached to removabletop 120. A user may remove top 120 once the heating process has beencomplete, and accordingly remove mouth guard 189 from support 188.Indeed, as the heating process commences within storage container 190,top 120 should be resistant to heat transfer so as to permit a user tograb top 120 without being burnt or otherwise become overlyuncomfortable when grasping top 120.

Storage container 190 may include a top 120 at a top end of the storagecontainer 190, a case 191 which top 120 may removable fit to, a vent 130adapted to accommodate case 191 sitting on top of vent 130, an internalarea 239 within vent 130, and a base support 111 provided at a bottomend of storage container 190. Base support 111 may have a smaller areathan that of the storage container 190 proximate to the end opposite top120. Accordingly, base support 111 may be inserted into a containerdisplay (not pictured) so as to accommodate transfer or display of aplurality of storage containers 190.

Activation of the thermal reaction may occur by applying a downwardforce from top end to base end, as illustrated for instance in FIG. 8.By applying the downward pressure, spikes or protrusions 141 may beforced downward thereby piercing fluid container 220, causing the fluidwithin to be released into internal area 239 and initiating the thermalreaction as previously described. Additionally, base support 111 may bebroken or displaced as a result of the applied downward force. In thisregard, base support 111 may provide resistance from a minor, unintendeddownward force such as during the handling or shipping of storagecontainer 190.

In some embodiments container 190 may be modified to include a bottomcap 150 instead of vent 130 or internal area 239. The smaller dimensionsof container 190 with bottom cap 150 permit easier storage andtransportation, particularly after the mouth guard 189 has already beenmolded thereby eliminating the need for thermal reaction to occur ininternal area 239.

The descriptions set forth above are meant to be illustrative and notlimiting. Various modifications, in addition to those described herein,will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoingdescription. Such modifications are also intended to fall within thescope of the concepts described herein. Each patent, patent application,and publication cited or described in this document are herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The foregoing description of possible implementations consistent withthe present disclosure does not represent a comprehensive list of allsuch implementations or all variations of the implementations described.The description of one implementation should not be construed as anintent to exclude other implementations. For example, artisans willunderstand how to implement the embodiments in many other ways, usingequivalents and alternatives that do not depart from the scope of thedisclosure. Moreover, unless indicated to the contrary in the precedingdescription, none of the components described in the implementations areessential to the embodiments disclosed. It is thus intended that theembodiments be considered as illustrative, with a true scope and spiritof the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

REFERENCE LIST

110 Base Lid

111 Base Support

120 Top

130 Vent

131 Perforation

140 Activation Lid

141 Spikes

150 Bottom Cap

188 Support

189 Mouth Guard

190 Storage Container

191 Case

192 Heating Compartment

210 Reactant Container

220 Fluid Container

239 Internal Area

310 Seal

430 Grate

433 Perforation

What is claimed is:
 1. A mouth protection system comprising: a formablemouth guard for insertion into a wearer's mouth, the mouth guardincluding an elastic component which may be heated to a compressiblestate at a temperature; and a storage container including a casedimensioned to hold the mouth guard, and a heating compartmentcomprising an internal area accommodating a reactant and a fluidcontainer housing a working fluid, wherein breaching the fluid containercauses the working fluid to be released from the fluid container intothe internal area thereby contacting the reactant; and wherein contactbetween the working fluid and the reactant causes an exothermic chemicalreaction to heat an internal environment of said case to thetemperature.
 2. The mouth protection system of claim 1, furthercomprising a support for holding the mouth guard in the case.
 3. Themouth protection system of claim 2, further comprising a top releasablysecured to a top end of the case, and the support attached to the top.4. The mouth protection system of claim 1, wherein the working fluid issubstantially water and the reactant is substantially quicklime.
 5. Themouth protection system of claim 1, further comprising an activation lidoperative to cause the fluid container to be breached.
 6. The mouthprotection system of claim 1, further comprising a spike proximate thefluid container, and wherein applying a force on the case in thedirection of the heating compartment cause movement of the spikeresulting in the spike piercing the fluid container thereby releasingthe working fluid.
 7. The mouth protection system of claim 6, furthercomprising a base support at a base end of the container, the basesupport operative to resist the force on the case.
 8. A method forprotecting a wearer's mouth, the method comprising: providing a mouthprotection system, which includes a formable mouth guard including anelastic component which may achieve a compressible state when heated toan elevated temperature, and a storage container including a casedimensioned to hold the mouth guard, and a heating compartment includingan internal area accommodating a reactant, and a fluid container housinga working fluid; causing an exothermic chemical reaction to heat aninternal environment of the case by breaching the fluid container andcausing the working fluid held in the fluid container to contact thereactant disposed in the internal area; allowing heat from theexothermic chemical reaction to raise the elastic component to theelevated temperature; inserting the mouth guard in its compressiblestate into a wearer's mouth; and allowing the mouth guard to cool andconformingly position itself within the wearer's mouth.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, the mouth piece protection system further including a spikeprovided proximate the fluid container, and the step of causing anexothermic reaction further including applying a downward force on thecase thereby moving the spike into the fluid container causing a breachof the fluid container.
 10. The method of claim 8, the mouth pieceprotection system further including an activation lid operative to causethe fluid container to be breached.
 11. The method of claim 8, thestorage container further including a top removably securable to a topend of the case, and a support connected to the top as well as the mouthguard, And the step of inserting the mouth guard further including auser grasping the top and removing the mouth guard from the case bypulling the top away from the case.
 12. The method of claim 8, whereinthe working liquid is substantially water and the reactant issubstantially quicklime.